New passport requirements for Brits

Just in case someone hasn't seen this, you now need a UK biometric passport to be admitted in to the U.S. These have been issued after October 2006 so there are still some old ones around. Even if you have an ESTA that is valid it won't help. Don't want anyone being turned away from their flight. You also see it says you need to have a passport valid for six months but evidently you can travel as long as your return flight is before the actual expiry date.

I don't suppose anyone will have a passport that was issued that long ago and is within the last six months of expiry but thought I'd share it just in case. Don't want my fellow VMBers to miss their holiday.

 

im sure this isnt new as when i went in 2013 i remeber checking my passport to mkae sure it has the microchip in it and the symbol on the front of the passport

 

It is definitely new as I had an old one last year and it was fine. It will only affect someone if it was issued between April and October 2006. It's been on the news and in the papers today.

 

I am not a Brit but wondered about this "biometric" thing as the chip was mentioned. Turns out my U.S. passport has the biometrics as well even though I never actually submitted them - or so I thought. Turns out they use your submitted photo to do some biometric things with it.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/world-news/what-biometric-passport-how-know-11294017

 

It came in on April 1st this year, I have read stories about people already being caught out with it. I flew to Vegas with Virgin last month and they sent me an e mail to advise me about the change prior to it coming in.

 

I imagine BA and Virgin are informing people. It's probably the European and U.S. airlines that aren't passing the info on. It was the same with the ESTA. Lots of people didn't know about it and got caught out.